1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic endoscope system which comprises a plurality of electronic endoscope units and peripheral devices, such as TV monitors, VCR""s (video cassette recorder), and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent medical practice, various types of electronic endoscope systems, such as the RGB sequential or color chip imaging systems, ultrasonic systems, a system that captures a fluorescent image of excited cells in the interior of a hollow organ and so on, are used. An operator may utilize several types of electronic endoscope systems during a medical examination since each type of electronic endoscope system has an exclusive purpose. In electronic endoscopy, captured images are observed by an image indicating device, such as TV monitor and so on. However, when a plurality of electronic endoscope systems are used simultaneously, it is a dissipation of space and cost to provide TV monitors, video cassette recorders and so on, for each electronic endoscope system. It is also cumbersome and time consuming to operate individual peripheral devices for each system.
Therefore, it is preferable to share devices, such as a TV monitor, video cassette recorder (VCR), etc., that have a common function among the electronic endoscope systems and build a single coordinated electronic endoscope system. In order to share the peripheral devices among a plurality of electronic endoscope systems and build a coordinated electronic endoscope system, an electronic endoscope selector is required that mediates between each of the electronic endoscopes and the peripheral devices.
The above coordinated electronic endoscope system comprises a plurality of electronic endoscope units, each of which comprises an endoscope with an elongated part for insertion into a body cavity or hollow organ, and an image-signal processing unit that processes image signals fed from an imaging device mounted at the distal end of the elongated part of the endoscope.
In a case when several types of electronic endoscope systems are utilized during a checkup or operation, it is quite helpful if images captured by different types of electronic endoscope systems are comparable with each other. For example, in the electronic endoscope system, which captures a fluorescent image of excited cells in the interior of a hollow organ, the electronic endoscope emits shortwave radiation, which includes an exciting wavelength that induces fluorescent of cells, to an unaffected tissue, so that a diagnosis for cancer may be executed while observing a monochrome image displaying the fluorescence of the tissue. However, diagnosis according to the above fluorescent images is not a well-established practice and in order to execute a minute inspection of a suspicious part, cross-reference with normal color images is frequently required. Conventionally, to achieve the above cross-reference between the normal color images and the fluorescent image, the operator needs to interchange endoscopes each time the cross-reference is required. The operator is also required to carry out cumbersome operations to switch images displayed on the screen of the TV monitor, from the images which are fed from one electronic endoscope, to the images fed from another electronic endoscope. Moreover, the frequent interchange of endoscopes compels a patient to endure further unnecessary discomfort.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscope system that enables a plurality of electronic endoscopes to share a peripheral device and integrate a plurality of electronic endoscope systems into a single coordinated electronic endoscope system. Further, another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic endoscope system which enables stored images captured by one of a plurality of electronic endoscopes, to be comparatively displayed with the live, capturing video.
According to the present invention, an electronic endoscope system is provided that comprises a plurality of electronic endoscopes, a storing medium, an image indicating device, an image storing processor and a comparative images indicating processor.
The image indicating device is for indicating images captured by the electronic endoscopes. The image storing processor stores at least one image captured by one of the electronic endoscopes, in the storing medium as a recorded image. The comparative images indicating processor executes video signal processing, so that a live image being captured by one of the plurality of electronic endoscopes, and the recorded image stored in the storing medium, are comparatively indicated on a screen of the image indicating device.
The electronic endoscope system further comprises an electronic endoscope selector, that selects one electronic endoscope among the plurality of electronic endoscopes and feeds video signals obtained by the selected electronic endoscope to the image indicating device. The electronic endoscope selector can switch one electronic endoscope to another. The recorded image and live image are comparatively indicatable on the screen of the image indicating device by driving the comparative images indicating processor.
Preferably, the storing medium and comparative images indicating processor are disposed in the electronic endoscope selector. Further, the electronic endoscope selector comprises a video-signal processor and an image parameter storing medium that stores image parameters. The video-signal processor executes adjustments for factors relating to tone of the image displayed on the screen of the image indicating device in accordance with the image parameters set for each of the plurality of electronic endoscopes.
Further, preferably, the comparative image indicating processor comprises a first and second image-indicating mode. The first image-indicating mode indicate the recorded image and the live image alternately on the screen of the image indicating device. The second image-indicating mode indicates the recorded image and the live image simultaneously on the screen.
Each of the plurality of electronic endoscopes preferably comprise at least one control switch in order to control the comparative images indicating processor and the image storing processor. Further, preferably, the control switch comprises a first and third control switch. The first control switch controls a storing operation of the image storing processor, and store the recording image captured by one of the plurality of electronic endoscopes in the storing medium. The third control switch controls a switching operation between the first and second image-indicating mode.
The image storing processor may store a plurality of recorded images in the storing medium. Further, the control switch comprises a second control switch that selects one of the plurality of recorded images to indicate the selected image on the screen of the image indicating device.
Further according to the present invention, an electronic endoscope selector that comprises a storing medium, a video signal switching processor, an image storing processor and a comparative images indicating processor, is provided.
The video signal switching processor selectively switches video signal among a plurality of video signals, each of which are fed from a plurality of electronic endoscopes, so that a selected video signal is fed to an image indicating device. The image storing processor stores at least one image captured by one of the electronic endoscopes, in the storing medium, as a recording image. The comparative images indicating processor comparatively indicates images of the selected video signal, or live image, and the recorded image stored in the storing medium.
Preferably, the image storing processor and comparative images indicating processor is controlled by a control signal from the electronic endoscope.
Further preferably, the electronic endoscope selector comprises a video-signal processor that executes adjustment for factors relating to tone of the images displayed on a screen of the image indicating device. The above adjustment may be executed in accordance with image parameters set for each of the electronic endoscopes. The electronic endoscope further comprises an image parameter storing processor that stores the above image parameters.
The recording image stored in the storing medium of the above system or selector is either a still or moving image.